Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption 2022

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Recording of the Hunga-Tonga eruption on January 15, 2022 by the geostationary weather satellite GOES-17 located above the equator - maximum diameter of the ash cloud approx. 470 km
Infrared images between 04:00 and 08:50 UTC
24-hour animation of eruption from GOES-West satellite imagery, NOAA
Radial propagation of the pressure wave and beginning of the eruption cloud's course towards Australia (bottom right)

The volcanic eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai 2022 in Tonga occurred on 14 and 15 January 2022 with massive eruptions that phreatomagmatischer in nature. On January 15 at 04:14 UTC (17:14 local time) an earthquake magnitude of 5.8 on the surface acoustic wave magnitude scale was recorded. According to initial findings, the eruption is the strongest in the world since the Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines in 1991.

An estimated 76,000 people live within a 100 km radius of the volcano. The volcanic eruption covered large parts of the island nation of Tonga with 1 to 2 cm of volcanic ash, affecting water, electricity and air quality. The tsunami triggered by the eruption caused severe damage to many hotels , particularly on the west coast of the main island of Tongatapu . Further volcanic eruptions are possible.

blast wave

Air pressure measurement during the Hunga Tonga eruption near Stuttgart

The blast from the eruption traveled around the globe. The wavefront peaked in Algeria , which is opposite Tonga on the globe, late in the evening . In Germany, it was measured at 9:00 p.m. CET with an air pressure impulse of approx. 1.5 hPa, coming from the north, and the following day at approx. 2:00 a.m. from the south with a somewhat weaker barometer amplitude . On January 17, a good two days after the explosion, another passage of about 0.5 hPa was registered. The sonic boom was heard in New Zealand, 2,300 kilometers away, and in Alaska, 9,700 kilometers away.

ash cloud

The Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Wellington , New Zealand , reported ash as high as 18.6km, setting a record for 2021/2022. Records of the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) of the limb profiler aboard the satellite Suomi NPP show a height of the ash cloud from to km 30, in the upper, warm stratosphere .. The ash cloud moves slowly to the northwest Fiji to . Fiji's Environment Ministry confirmed an increase in sulfur dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere on the night of January 17 and warned the population of acid rain . The total amount of sulfur dioxide released into the atmosphere by the eruption is estimated at 400 million kilograms.

tsunami

A tsunami was triggered by the eruptions . B. Nukuʻalofa , the capital of Tonga, reached a height of 1.2 m. The first reconnaissance flights showed destroyed houses in the capital. On January 18, severe damage was reported on the smaller and lower islands of Fonoifua , Mango, and Nomuka . An active distress signal had previously been detected by Mango. OCHA's surveillance flights registered a completely destroyed village on Mango, as well as numerous missing buildings on the island of ' Atatā .

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning that was later lifted for the US territory of American Samoa . New Zealand's National Disaster Management Agency warned after the eruption that "strong and unusual currents and unpredictable flooding" could be expected in some parts of the country. In fact, several boats capsized in a harbor there. Flooding also hit California , particularly parts of Santa Cruz and Port San Luis, and the tsunami also caused damage in Peru . High waves were reported in the regions of La Libertad , Lambayeque , Lima , Ica and Arequipa by Peru's National Civil Defense Institute (INDECI). Several buildings were damaged in Paracas . Twenty-two ports on the north and central coasts were closed and fishing activity ceased. Flooding also occurred along the coast of northern Chile in the port city of Iquique , as well as across the Pacific Ocean in areas of the Japanese island of Amami-Ōshima .

The tsunami waves reached Japan with a height of about one meter.

victim

Three fatalities have been reported in Tonga so far. The number of injured could not be quantified so far. Since almost all houses on the flat islands of Mango (about 70 kilometers north-east of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai) and Fonoifua (about 80 kilometers north-east) were destroyed by the tsunami, more victims are to be expected.

Two people drowned in the waves of the tsunami on the beach in the Peruvian region of Lambayeque .

More damage

The island nation's communications with the outside world were severely impacted as the only fiber optic cable carrying internet connections was damaged. There should be mobile phone connections locally. This was confirmed two days after the volcanic eruption. Other communication links were also disrupted.

Help

New Zealand and Australia offered aid, including in the form of reconnaissance flights. New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced a first Royal New Zealand Air Force reconnaissance flight in a Lockheed P-3K Orion on the morning of January 17 after the ash concentration had subsided. Both countries initially dropped aid supplies from the air as the cloud of smoke prevented landings. The Australian HMAS Adelaide is to transport relief supplies from Brisbane to Tonga. Australia also announced emergency aid of one million Australian dollars and New Zealand half a million New Zealand dollars . The European Union activated the Copernicus Emergency Monitoring System .

web links

Commons : Hunga Tonga Volcanic Eruption and 2022 Tsunami  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

itemizations

  1. ↑ Tonga and Pacific Ocean | Volcanic eruption and tsunami (PDF 1.22 MB), accessed January 18, 2022
  2. ↑ M 5.8 Volcanic Eruption - 68 km NNW of Nuku'alofa, Tonga , USGS Earthquakes Hazards Program, accessed January 15, 2022.
  3. ↑ Tonga eruption likely the world's largest in 30 years - scientist. In: Radio New Zealand . January 17, 2022, retrieved January 17, 2022 (en-nz).
  4. ↑ tagesschau.de: After a volcanic eruption near Tonga: Like a lunar landscape. Retrieved January 17, 2022 .
  5. ↑ a b Volcanic eruption transforms Tonga into "lunar landscape" - extent still unclear. January 17, 2022, retrieved January 17, 2022 .
  6. ↑ UNICEF Pacific Islands Humanitarian Situation Report No. 1 (Volcanic Eruption and Tsunami): 16 January 2022 In: reliefweb.int , 16 January 2022, accessed 16 January 2022
  7. ↑ a b c Tonga: Volcanic Eruption - Flash Update (As of 17 January 2022) In: reliefweb.int , 17 January 2022, accessed 17 January 2022
  8. ↑ Viola Kiel: Tonga: How an Undersea Volcano Can Develop Destructive Power . In: The Mirror . January 16, 2022, ISSN  2195-1349 ( spiegel.de [accessed January 16, 2022]).
  9. ↑ Twitter posts, e.g. B by Karsten Schwanke etc.
  10. ↑ [1] Jörg Kachelmann on Twitter
  11. ↑ a b c d Tonga tsunami cuts off nearly all island communications. In: BBC News . YouTube , January 17, 2022, accessed January 18, 2022 ((0:32) Zum Bang (with videos from Fiji 400 km away), (1:04) fiber optic cable, (3:53) "houses thrown around in the capital “, (4:01) Aid shipments).
  12. ↑ Height of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption reached 30 km (98 500 feet) asl, Tonga. Retrieved January 17, 2022 (English).
  13. ↑ Naveel Krishant, Sulfur Dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has increased overnight which could result in acidic rainfall over Fiji In: fijivillage.com , 17 January 2022, accessed 17 January 2022
  14. ↑ Prof. Simon Carn on Twitter , January 16, 2022, accessed January 18, 2022
  15. ↑ Rachel Ramirez and Brandon Miller, Tonga volcano eruption likely not large enough to affect global climate, experts say In: CNN , January 17, 2022, accessed January 18, 2022
  16. ↑ Tonga: South Pacific tsunami warning after underwater volcano erupts . In: The Mirror . January 15, 2022, ISSN  2195-1349 ( spiegel.de [accessed January 16, 2022]).
  17. ↑ tagesschau.de: Volcanic eruption: Extent of damage to Tonga still unclear. Retrieved January 16, 2022 .
  18. ↑ Initial reports from #Tonga: , World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific on Twitter, January 18, 2022, accessed January 18, 2022
  19. ↑ Many deaths feared. The first images show the extent of the destruction in Tonga. t-online , January 18, 2022, retrieved January 18, 2022 .
  20. ↑ tagesschau.de: Tsunami warning after volcanic eruption - consequences still unclear. Retrieved January 15, 2022 .
  21. ↑ www.civildefence.govt.nz , daily update, retrieved 16 January 2022. Report is expected to be moved later to Previous Emergencies, www.civildefence.govt.nz
  22. ↑ Peter Vincent, Tsunami warning issued for Australia and New Zealand after huge undersea volcano eruption visible from space sends 4ft waves smashing into Tonga and forces hundreds to flee to high ground In: Daily Mail , 15 January 2022, accessed 15 January 2022 .
  23. ↑ South Pacific tsunami warning , Der Spiegel, January 15, 2022.
  24. ↑ Tonga hit by tsunami after volcanic eruption , Deutsche Welle, January 15, 2022.
  25. ↑ tagesschau.de: Volcanic eruption: Extent of damage to Tonga still unclear. Retrieved January 16, 2022 .
  26. ↑ Peru - 2 Dead After Tonga Volcano Triggers Coastal Flooding In: floodlist.com , January 17, 2022, accessed January 17, 2022
  27. ↑ Japan - Tsunami warning lifted after Tonga volcano erupts. Retrieved January 17, 2022 .
  28. ↑ Tonga confirms three dead as island sends distress signal. Der Tagesspiegel , January 18, 2022, retrieved January 18, 2022 .
  29. ↑ Mercury Summary 1/18/22 , 11:04 p.m. CET
  30. ↑ Tonga eruption: NZ Air Force plane leaves for reconnaissance flight to assess damage In: rnz.co.nz , 17 January 2022, accessed 17 January 2022
  31. ↑ Australia to provide assistance to Tonga following volcanic eruption and tsunami , Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, 16 January 2022, accessed 17 January 2022
  32. ↑ Tonga: Volcanic Eruption - Flash Update In: reliefweb.int , January 17, 2022, accessed January 18, 2022

Coordinates: 20° 33′  S , 175° 24′  W